Lose and we've had it, says Wenger

Two of the Premiership's most bitter rivalries are renewed this afternoon, with the away teams desperate to avoid defeat. Liverpool visit Chelsea a week after their heaviest derby beating in decades, while Arsenal go into their match at Old Trafford 10 points behind their opponents, 11 behind leaders Portsmouth and looking to heed warning words from Arsene Wenger about the damage defeat could do. 'You never win the championship if you lose against Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool. You can forget it,' he said.

For years games between Manchester United and Arsenal settled titles and as a result regularly spilled over into clashes on and off the pitch, but it is now a less intense fixture, in part because of the rise of Chelsea but also a change of personnel, to which Sir Alex Ferguson drew attention. 'Roy Keane against Patrick Vieira was an incredible competition between two titans of the game,' said Ferguson. 'It was a great competition for years. I used to enjoy it and I think both players enjoyed it too.'

With the only 100 per cent winning record, Ferguson has certainly enjoyed the start to the season and will hope to capitalise on the absence of the injured Thierry Henry to move 13 points clear of Arsenal, though the visitors will still have a game in hand.

By kick-off at Old Trafford, a challenger to Henry's status as London's leading striker may have continued his fine start to life in a new country, though Andriy Shevchenko is as impressed with his new surroundings as Chelsea fans are with him: the Ukraine star intends to remain in England after he retires from playing. 'I will stay here and live,' he said. 'I like the ambience of England. I'm happy here.'

Shevchenko hoped the game with Liverpool would be played in the right atmosphere. 'Most important is the great respect between the teams,' he said. But, as with United v Arsenal games, not every headline has been about the football when these two sides have met of late.